Case Number 11210

THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND

The Charge

Charming. Magnetic. Murderous.

Opening Statement

The Last King of Scotland is best known for the astonishing, Oscar
winning performance by its lead actor Forest Whitaker (Panic Room) as
Ugandan president Idi Amin. But the film as a whole is a captivating and
seductive piece of work that respects the audience's intelligence, chooses
restraint over shock value, and introduces the world of Uganda in the 1970s from
the inside. You may come for Whitaker, but you'll stay for the storytelling.

Facts of the Case

Scotland, 1970. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy, The Chronicles of Narnia:
The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe), having just graduated from medical
school, spins a globe in his room with the intention of going wherever his
finger lands. The fact that he spins again after landing on the relatively
pedestrian country of Canada speaks to the type of adventure he seeks. But the
second try is more appealing to the young man: Uganda.

Arranging for work in a small, under-funded field hospital, Nicholas quickly
takes to helping the Ugandan people, enthusiastically treating and befriending
the locals, and swooning over fellow foreigner Sarah Merrit (Gillian Anderson,
The X-Files), who happens to be married to the hospital's other doctor.
Nicholas loves his work, but his adventurous spirit seems somewhat stifled --
until he meets the country's new president, Idi Amin.

Called to the site of an accident involving Amin, Nicholas impresses the man
with his fiery spontaneity, and is himself easily charmed by Amin's huge
personality. Not long after this first meeting, Nicholas is asked to become
Amin's personal physician and trusted advisor, and eventually settles into the
president's luxurious lifestyle, that which is only available to the obscenely
wealthy. But the more ingrained Nicholas becomes in Amin's government, the more
he discovers about what is really happening to the Ugandan people under Amin's
regime, and the young naïve doctor must fight to save both his life and his
soul.

The Evidence

The Last King Of Scotland, at the heart of its narrative, is a
cautionary tale akin to The Devil's Advocate and Two For The Money
(sans Al Pacino, of course), but rather than presenting a clear-cut
battle between an evil manipulator and corrupted innocent, the film follows the
collision between two flawed men without passing judgment or telling the
audience what to think. This is a serious feat considering one man was
responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands, while the other is a
foreign doctor doing humanitarian work, but nothing is as simple as it appears
in the picture. The historical drama has been grafted onto the structure of a
thriller, with a fictional Scottish protagonist interacting with a very real
antagonist, making it accessible and entertaining, yet still asking more
questions than it answers.

While Giles Foden's novel on which the picture is based finds its main
appeal in the blending of historical fact with dramatic fiction, the success or
failure of The Last King Of Scotland as a piece of cinema hinges
unquestionably on the performance of Whitaker as Idi Amin. The piece is
structured so that, just as Nicholas is charmed, seduced, and coerced, so are we
as an audience. The first time we meet Amin, it's an exciting and enthusiastic
scene of people rejoicing at the sight of their salvation, and a master orator
telling these devout supporters exactly what they need to hear. It's nearly
halfway through the film before we suspect that not all is as it has appeared,
and having spent all of our time in Nicholas' insular world, we are similarly
surprised by accusations of the British press against Amin, agreeing that such
journalism may be exaggerated or politically motivated. The structure helps us
fully understand how Nicholas gets himself so deeply in trouble before looking
for a way out, but it is because of Whitaker's flawless work that we can be so
taken by Amin.

Many were predicting Whitaker's Academy Award long before nominations were
announced, and for good reason: his depiction of Amin is as complex, nuanced,
and unflinchingly honest as any piece of acting in recent memory. This man, whom
history has judged in the harshest possible way, is presented as a complete
human being, often warm and loving, but conflicted as well. Scenes with Amin can
alternate between funny and frightening at a shockingly brisk pace, and although
you may not know exactly why his presence seems so foreboding, it does; Whitaker
layers hints of the man's underlying violence and unstable mentality, often just
behind the eyes. Despite this, though, we spend much of the picture's running
time carried away by his charisma and inclusiveness, easily romanced into
believing that he cares deeply for the people in the room with him and the
Ugandan people as a whole. From the flawless accent to the subtle mannerisms and
physical manifestation of emotions, Whitaker fully immerses himself into this,
his meatiest role to date in a long and very solid career, and his approach to
the part -- that of treating Amin as a man, with all the good and bad that that
implies, rather than a villain -- gives us an entrance into his motivations.

While the movie revolves around and is propelled by Whitaker, James McAvoy
is the man with whom we spend the most time, and he too makes his character a
fully realized and flawed human being. I really appreciated the acting choices
McAvoy made, often doing things that are not immediately obvious but are
completely consistent with his character's motivations. In a way, Nicholas is a
symbol for the first world, charging idealistically into a country like Uganda
knowing very little about local politics or the situation of its citizens and
quickly finding himself in over his head. McAvoy, who was nominated for a BAFTA
Film Award for his work here, gives a masterful performance that ensures we will
be seeing much more of him in coming years.

There is an impressive amount of tasteful restraint taken with the material
here, given that over his nine years in power, Amin's regime was responsible for
the deaths of more than 300,000 Ugandans, and credit is due to director Kevin
MacDonald (Touching The Void) and writers Jeremy Brock (Charlotte
Gray) and Peter Morgan (The Queen) for clearly defining a tone and a
point of view early on in the film, and not straying for the sake of audience
manipulation. It would have been all too easy to cut to scenes of various
atrocities being committed, but doing so would have betrayed all the groundwork
laid before. Instead, we learn information the same way that Nicholas does,
through third-hand reports from newspaper articles and such, very rarely seeing
any violence for ourselves. Of course, when we do see either the aftermath or
perpetration of some brutal act, it's more unflinchingly harsh than we could
imagine, and is powerfully affecting. Two acts late in the movie leave an
indelible impression of what Amin's people were capable.

This DVD presentation is on par with Fox's other work, with a clear
blemish-free anamorphic picture (we were provided a "check disc" for
review purposes, so it is difficult to judge what exactly the final picture will
look like, but I can only assume that the occasional pixilation and false
contouring will not be present in the DVD's final form). This is not a movie
suited to an aggressive soundtrack, but music and ambient sounds are appropriate
enveloping with this 5.1 track.

A number of deleted scenes are included, most of which are longer versions
of scenes already appearing in the picture or elaborating on information that
has already been communicated, so none provides much additional insight or are
missed from the final product. An audio commentary by director MacDonald
explains why each was deleted; he also provides a commentary for the film.

The most valuable supplement is the excellent 30-minute documentary
"Capturing Idi Amin," which provides a great deal of historical
context, and discusses candidly some of the liberties taken by the filmmakers
for dramatic effect. It is a dense, fast paced featurette that is absolutely
worth your time. Also included are two short featurettes on the casting and
performance of Whitaker and a pair of trailers.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

Having used the "prodigy thriller" mould as a template for the
story, the film does play out in a rather predictable way -- we know Nicholas
will turn down Amin when first offered the job just as well as we know he will
soon be swayed by some extravagant gift, and we know his lasting glances toward
Amin's wife Kay (Kerry Washington, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) can't lead
anywhere good for either of them. It's a well-worn storyline, and hits nearly
every traditional beat. That its predictability doesn't lessen the film's
enjoyment reflects the utterly compelling nature of the subject itself.

Closing Statement

A captivating portrait of both a powerful dictator responsible for the deaths
of hundreds of thousands and a selfish idealist who loses his way all to easily,
The Last King Of Scotland is a rich experience of a movie, fast paced and
filled with detail. The well-deserved praise of Whitaker's performance has
garnered more attention for the movie than otherwise might have been, but what
will make it a lasting work are its honest characterizations, complex
situations, and sharp storytelling. This is a morally messy picture with no
clear definition between right and wrong, which makes for a thought-provoking
cinematic experience. Recommended.